The General Customs of the Republic reported on its social networks that the Ministry of Finance and Prices (MFP) extended the exemption from paying tariffs on the non-commercial import of food, medicines, hygiene products and medical supplies, in accordance with the provisions of Resolution No. 9/2026, published in the Extraordinary Official Gazette of January 17, 2026.
According to the regulations, the tariff benefits will be maintained “as long as the conditions that determined their approval persist,” without establishing a specific deadline for their validity. The resolution will come into force on February 1, 2026.
The measure authorizes, exceptionally, the importation without value limits and exempt from Customs Tax of these products when they are introduced into the country as luggage accompanied by passengers. In the case of unaccompanied luggage, importation is allowed up to a limit of 500 US dollars or 50 kilograms, according to the value/weight ratio established by Customs.
For shipments made by natural persons, the customs value limit is increased from 200 to 500 US dollars, maintaining the exemption from paying the tax for the first 30 dollars or its equivalent in weight, and applying a tariff rate of 30% on the surplus. Likewise, the exempt import of food, hygiene, medicines and medical supplies is authorized for air, sea and postal shipments up to 200 dollars or 20 kilograms.
The Resolution also establishes that these items must be presented separately from the rest of the luggage and that shipments may only contain products classified within the benefited categories.
Along with this provision, the Official Gazette published other complementary regulations, including Resolution No. 10/2026 of the MFP, which extends the benefit for the non-commercial import of power plants of more than 900 watts, and Resolution No. 4/2026 of the Ministry of Public Health, which extends the exceptional authorization for the import of medicines and medical supplies, including specific medical devices and equipment.
For its part, Resolution No. 34/2026 of the General Customs of the Republic maintains the suspension of the weight valuation table for food, hygiene, medicines and medical supplies imported through shipments, and ratifies the application of a special regime as long as the conditions that motivated these measures are maintained.
The authorities justified the extension due to the persistence of limitations in the supply of these products in the country, in a context marked by economic and supply difficulties.
